Flash tester for high tension electric currents



E. BEDWELL FLASH TESTER FOR HIGH TENSION ELECTRIC CURRENTS Filed March 5, 1934 INVENTOR.

A TTORNE Y.

.Patented June ll, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFlcEL FLASH TESTER FOR HIGH TENSION ELECTRIC CURRENTS Application March 5, 1934, Serial No. 714,043

3 Claims.

This invention relates to a flash tester. The obj ect of my flash tester is to test for leaks in high tension circuits. Another object is to determine the electrical strength of a coil; A still further 5 object is to provide an instrument that will test for, and find leaks in distributor caps, high tension Wires, and to find faulty spark plugs, etc., and also to determine the extent or amount of leak. These and other objects will be more fully explained as this description progresses.

No-w referring to the drawing in which like characters of reference designate the same .part throughout the several figures. Fig. 1 is a side View of my flash tester. Fig. 2 is a sectional view through my fiash tester. Fig. 3 is a plan View of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a sectional view as seen from the line IV-IV in Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a sectional view as seen from the line V-V in Fig. 2. Fig. 6 is a side view of an internal combustion motor and electrical equipment thereof, showing the application or use of my flash tester.

From experimentation it has been found that certain dimensions of the several parts will cause the instrument to function most accurately, however it will be understood that some deviation from these dimensions will not cause the instrument to fail to function satisfactorily, therefore for the purpose of clearness of this description, dimensions will be given.

In the drawing is shown a glass tube I0, the upper portion of which is sixteen millimeter size and three and one-quarter inches in length and in which is housed an electrode II around which is an insulating element I2 that fits looselywithin the tube I and loosely around the electrode II, said insulating element I2 being held in position on the electrode by projections I3 on the electrode I I. At I 4 is a pair of wires attached to the upper end of the electrode I I and extend upwardly 40 therefrom and pass through the sealed upper end of the glass tube I0 and are attached, by being soldered, to a metallic cap like element I which is fitted over the upper end of the glass tube I0 and cemented thereto to permanently fasten the cap I5 on the glass tube I0. At IIJa is a continuation of the tube I0, this tube Illa is a twelve millimeter tube and is eight and three-quarter inches in length and is sealed at the bottom end. It will be understood that the two tubes II] and Illa 5 are joined together to form one continuous tube twelve inches in length and having both ends sealed. At I6 is a metallic cap like element tted on the lower end of the tube Ina and cemented theretov as a means of permanently fastening the cap I6 on the tube Illa.

The tube I0 and I0a, forming a composite tube hereafter, designated B", is a vacuum tube containing seven millimeters of gas pressure, said gas being neon rare gas containing one half of one percent of helium gas.

The operation of the device is as follows: When a high tension electric current is applied to the cap element I5 the current ows through the wires I4 and the electrode II and illuminates the gas in the tube B. It will be understood that the 10 tensity or amount of illumination is dependent on the amount of current entering the tube. For illustration, a small amount 6i current would cause a small flash in the tube and the color would be a faded pink color while if a larger amount of l5 current were entered into the tube the flash would be larger and more of a deep orange color, therefore the size of the flash will increase and the color of the ash will be graduated from a faded pink color to a deep orange color, depending on 20 the amount of current entering the tube.

Now-the application of using the tube is as follows: Referring to Fig. 6, we will assume there is a leak in the distributor cap I1 of an internal combustion motor C and we are testing to find the 25 leak. The tube is held in the hand of the mechanic and the cap element I5 is moved from place to place around over the distributor cap Il until a flash appears in the tube. At the point on the distributor cap I 1 where the tubeshows a 30 flash, a crack I8 is found in the cap II and current is leaking through the crack and is causing the motor to operate poorly and the remedy would be a new distributor cap. It will be understood that the crack might be so small that it is in- 35 visible to the naked eye, yet it is leaking current.

Now we are testing for leaks in the wiring. The instrument is held in the hand of the mechanic and the cap element I5 is moved from place to place around over the wiring until a flash appears in the tube and at which point a leak in the wire 20 is found. The remedy is a new wire.

Now we will test the spark plugs. The instrument is held in the hand of the mechanic and the cap I5 is placed on high tension terminal I9 of the spark plug. At this point several determinations are reached. First, a flash appears in the tube, if the flash is large and the color deep orange color, the indication is that the plug is working all right and the cylinder is burning clean. Now if the ash is pink in color and dingy, the indication is that there is not enough current entering the spark plug to make it work properly, or the plug is dirty or roui so that it fails to work propel-1y. 55

It the wires feeding the plug have been tested and found to be'all right, the trouble is in the plug and the remedy is to clean the plug or replace it with a new one. 'I'here is still another conclusion that may be reached if the tube shows a weak flash when placed on the high tension terminal of the spark plug. If the compression of the cylinder is low or the cylinder leaks compression, the result is due to the lack of compression in the cylinder and a resistance is set up between the points oi' the spark plug and a weak spark is obtained and the cylinder fails to burn clear, resulting in limping or uneven running of the motor. Ir this condition exists in the motor the indication in the tube is a weak dingy pink colored ash.

Often a motor car owner complains that his car works ne until he attempts to get more than thirty iive or forty miles per hour out of the car and then it fails; it hasnt the speed, the motor misses or runs uneven.

The answer to this trouble is probably a weak coil 2|. 'I'he test is to place the tester cap l5 on the high tension terminal 22 of the coil 2|, run the motor slowly if the iiash in the tube B is large and deep orange color, the coil is working all right; now speed up the motor to the speed where it fails to work properly and hold the cap l5 on the high tension terminal 22 of the coil 2|, if the flash in the tube B continues to be large and deep orange color, the indication is that the coil is all right and the trouble is not in the coil. However if the flash in the tube B is small and dingy and pink in color, the indication is that the coil is not meeting the demand of the motor at high speed and the trouble is in the coil. The remedy is a new coil.

Another motor car owner says my car works ine for thirty or forty minutes and then begins to limp or miss and it loses its speed.

The test for this trouble is to start the motor, hold the tester cap I5 on the high tension terminal 22 of the coil 2|; if the flash in the tube B is large and the color deep orange, the coil is working alli-ight. Now let the motor continue and the color is dingy and pink, the indication -is that the coil breaks down after being in use for a short time and fails to supply the current necessary for the good operation of the motor. The remedy is a new coil.

Such modincations of my invention may be employed as lie within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit and intention of the invention. Now having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is;-

1. In a flash tester of the kind described, a tube, said tube having an enlarged portion as a bulb on one end thereof, an electrode in said bulb, a metallic cap, said cap being fitted on and being rigidly and permanently attached to said bulb, and a metallic connection between said cap and said electrode, gas in said tube and bulb, said gas having the properties of becoming illuminated in varying colors when brought into the presence of varying amounts of a high tension electric current.

2. In a flash tester of the kind described, a tube, said tube having an enlarged portion as a bulb on one end thereof, an electrode in said bulb, means around said electrode for holding the electrode on the center axis of said tube and bulb, a. metallic cap, said cap being tted on and rigidly and permanently attached to said bulb and a metallic connection between said electrode and said cap, and substantially the entire tube being exposed to view, gas in said tube and bulb, said gas having the properties of becoming illuminated in various degrees of color throughout the entire tube when brought into the presence of varying amounts of a high tension electric current.

3. In a iiash tester of the kind described in claim 2, said gas being a combination of neon and helium gas.

EDGAR BIDWELL. 

